Travis Credit Union hosted its award-winning, interactive youth financial education initiative, Generation Wealth, on Feb. 28 at Winters Joint High School. Through role-playing, students explored real-life scenarios and gained insights into financial topics they identified as most relevant and important.

According to an Intuit Financial Education survey, 85% of U.S. high school students say that they are interested in learning about financial topics in school, and 95% of students who currently receive financial curriculum find it helpful.

Generation Wealth participants are immersed in scenarios dealing with jobs, salaries, bills, families and credit scores so that they leave the event with a practical understanding of planning, saving, spending, borrowing and other financial decisions.

“Different generations have different financial goals,” said Steward Pimienta, TCU’s youth engagement officer. “Past generations might have defined wealth as having a second home. Today, many students define wealth as having good mental health or not having to worry about bills. We make sure that they all are empowered by their personal definitions and are comfortable with building the foundation to reach their goals.”

Formerly known as Mad City Money, more than 13,000 students have attended the program since its start in 2009.

“At Winters High School and across Winters JUSD, we are committed to ensuring that every student graduates with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed in college, career and life. Financial literacy is a key part of that journey and we are grateful for our continuing partnership with Travis Credit Union in supporting our students with the tools, skills and knowledge to make informed financial decisions,” said Justin Young, principal at Winters High School.

“Programs like Generation Wealth directly support our Graduate Profile by fostering critical thinking, financial responsibility, community engagement and real-world problem-solving — ensuring our students are resilient with the content knowledge to achieve their goals and build a successful future.”

For more information about the Generation Wealth program or to get involved, please visit https://traviscu.org/generationwealth or email TCUCommunityRelations@traviscu.org.